Tile and tile assembly



Jan. 24, 1939. c. BATCHELLER 2,145,068

TLEY AND TILE ASSEMBLY FiledOct. l, 1937 llllllll llllllllll llllllllll lyllllll' r if /NVE/v TOP V A C/emen/ afc/ve//e/ A f I v ff, F76. /0 Y ATTORNEY Patented Jan. 24, 1939 UNITED STATES TILE AND TILE ASSEMBLY Clements Batcheller, Glens Falls, N. Y., assignor to Allegheny Ludlum Steel Corporation, a corporation of Pennsylvania Application october 1, 19er, serialfNo. 166,829

6 Claims.

` ordinary media while maintaining its lustrous surface under indefinite exposure to the atmos- 10 phere.

My invention more particularly relates to a tile comprising' a. thin, light gauge, corrosion resistant, alloy steel face having a highly reflective surface and one which doesnot become dull or l tarnished as commonly results from oxidation in, for example, ordinary carbon steels. `It is well known, too, that tarnishing or loss of lustre'also occurs in common yellow metals. y.

The light gauge, metal sheets which I contem- 20 plate employing as the facing element of my tile are preferably of a thickness of the order of about .008" to .016. Obviously, such paperthin metal sheets can not alone form tiles of commercial value ldue to their lack of adequate 25 structural strength. Furthermore, since it is desirable to provide tiles with beveled edges, it would be extremely difficult to fabricate such structures from metals of a thickness above indicated. However, the desirability of using such 3o` thin, light gauge, metal sheets resides not only,

for example, in their highly aesthetic and enduring properties but also in the low cost thereof per square foot and I have found that when such metal sheets are adequately reinforced by a suit- 35 able backing element, securely affixed thereto, a composite sheet product is produced having very suitable working qualities and of adequate structural strength.

For example, in my co-pending application,

40 Ser. No. 101,924, filed September 22, 1936, I have disclosed a composite sheet product which I have found may advantageously be employed'in the formation of my tile product and tiles of all practical sizes 'including conventional, 4" x 4",

45 6" x 6" and 3" x 6" tiles may readily be formed therefrom.

The facing element of such composite sheet or strip products may be formed from an alloy steel containing about 8% or more of chromium and,

5o due to the cold rolling methods of production, such strips have a highly polished surface lustre and are highly resistant to corrosion. These strips, being of such `thinness, say of the order of from .002" up to 0.016" are provided with a 55 reinforcing, backing element having properties backing element for the composite strip which is (ci. 18s- 85) adapted to overcome not only working difficulties inherentin the metal strip but also to furnish a satisfactory, bonding medium for the application thereof by means of a suitable adhesive to practically all types of wall surfaces including, by 5 way of example, smooth board surfaces and the like. Cheap, flexible and substantially inelastic backing elements are found, for example, in a felted, cellulose-rag, fiber sheathing product, either impregnated with some substance such as 10 asphalt,` size or a resin compound, or dry. Another-backing element may comprise a loosely felted bonded mineral fiber mat or even a flexible paper board product. The facing and backing elements are secured together preferably by means of a suitable cement or adhesive and subjection to relatively heavy external pressure. i I have found that a very satisfactory, 'flexiblesfif employed in the formation of my tiles, comprises a smooth surfaced, asphalt impregnated, felt paper having a weight of about 28 pounds per 108 square feet. Incidentally, such paper may be provided with a painted or lacquered, exposed surface to enhance its surface smoothness and aid in the adhesion of the tile to a wall surface. A protective coating of this character also` prevents bleeding of the impregnating compounds in the paper in those cases where the papery is subjected to high temperatures. l 30 It is, therefore, an object of my invention to provide a tile formed from a composite strip of the foregoing described nature which tile, due to its novel construction, is adapted to be adhesively affixed to a wall surface or to be imbedded in and thereby secured to a wall while the wall is still in a somewhat plastic condition such as walls of wet plaster or concrete grout.

Further objects of my invention lie ,in a tile assembly wherein tiles, as a group, are applied 4" to a wall, or, with like effect tiles are individually applied in predetermined relation and the spaces therebetween treated to simulate tile joints.

With these and other objects in view, my invention includes the novel constructions and the combinations and arrangements of elements described below and illustrated in the accompanying drawing in which- Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a tile of my 50 invention;

Fig. 2 is a sectional view illustrating one form of tile construction;

Fig. 3 is a sectional view illustrating a modified tile construction; 56

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary, sectional, perspective view of a tile similar to that of Fig. 3; A

Fig. 5 illustrates a modified construction.

Fig. 6 illustrates, somewhat diagrammatically, one method of forming my tiles;

Fig. 7 is a fragmentary illustration of a tile assembly;

Fig. 8 is a sectional view taken in about the plane I-B of Fis. 7;

Fig. 9 is a fragmentary plan view of a template or mounting element for the tile;

Fig. 10 illustrates a template, wall and tile assembly; and

Fig. 11 illustrates a fragmentary section of a tile assembly wherein the tiles, are mounted immediately adjacent each other. Y

Referring to the drawing, I indicates generally a tile provided with beveled edges 2 and formed from a composite strip having a facing and backing element of the nature herein referred to. The tiles are preferably blanked from a composite strip consisting of a thin metal facing 3 and a backing 4 adhesiveiy secured thereto, and are beveled along the edges to afford an imbedded simulation when aillxed to a wall surface.

In Fig. 3, a modified formation of tile is illustrated wherein both the facing element 3 and the backing element! are beveled to form a tile having a slightly concave back adapted primarily for application to plastic walls. In the preferred form of tile of this character. the backing element I is provided with a multiplicity of spaced indentations 5 which, when the tile is partially imbedded ina plastic wall, are adapted to be filled with such plastic to form a strong bond between the tile and wall.

In view of the highly lustrous properties of the metallic sheet 3, I also contemplate providing a colored film of lacquer or other suitable product to enhance the aesthetic appearance of the finished tile product. A protective coating of this character .also serves to prevent disiigurement of the tile face from abrasion while permitting facile removal of adherent iilms such as finger marks and the like.r In Fig. 5, a protective film 6 is applied to the exposed surface of the metal element 3 and, it will be understood, I prefer to employ a translucent coating so that the highly reflective and lustrous appearance of the metal facing sheet will not be lost.

For example, a suitable coating product is found in the proprietary product known as "Durtemp. This product, when applied to the face of my tile and baked affords a coating which is resistant topractically all ordinary corrosive or solvent media, and being translucent, does nothide the lustrous appearance of the metal facing.

In Fig. 6, I have illustrated one method of forming the tiles of my invention. A blank 1 of the composite strip product is presentedbetween the die 8 and die plate 9, the female die 8 being recessed with beveled edges I which are adapted, when the die and die plate are forced together under pressure, to bevel the blank along the sides thereof to form the tile product illustrated in Fig. 2.

In forming a tile assembly by application of the respective tiles in spaced relation upon a wall surface, as illustrated in Figs. 7 and 8, the appearance thereof may be greatly improved by applying colored strips to cover the visible portions of the wall surface intermediate the tiles. For example, with the tile I arranged in the manner illustrated and adhesiveiy secured to the wall II, areas are apparent therebetween. In accordance with my invention, I contemplate adhesiveiy securing strips I2, for example, of colored cellulose-acetate between .the tiles to simulate tile joints, preferably of a contrasting color to the tiles. The strips I2 may be formed from any suitable, lpreferably translucent, material.

A modified tile assembly wherein the spaces between the tiles may be provided of desired vcoloration comprises a sheet of suitable sheet material such as paper, preformedwith colored zones intermediate those portions thereof designed to be covered by the tiles. As illustrated in Figs. 9 and l0, a sheet I3 of paper or the like bears delineations I4 representing the areas I5 to be covered by tiles. 'I'he tiles may be first applied to the pap'er and thereafter a panel of tiles applied to the wall surface or, of course, the paper may be applied to the wall, and the tiles adhesiveiy secured thereto. Those portions I6 between the areas I of the sheet or template I3 are preferably colored to simulate joints of distinguishing appearance in the completed tile assembly.

In view of the beveled construction of the tiles. they may be mounted in the manner illustrated in Fig. 11 wherein the tilesare shown mounted immediately adjacent each other. The beveled sides of the tiles clearly present lines of demarcation whereby the appearance of tile joints is effected.

It is also desirable and my invention contemplates the provision of my tile products with a light adhesive, preferably water soluble, protective coating on the face thereof. A coating of this character prevents impairment of the tile surface during transmission and installation and, of course, may be readily removed after the tiles have been mounted. A coating of the foregoing character or one of suitable lacquer or paper may be used, and if desired, such coating may be applied to the composite strip product before the tiles are formed therefrom.

While I have described my invention in its preferred embodiments with considerable detail, it is to be understood that the words which I have used are words of description rather than of limitation and that changes within the purview of the appended claims may be made without departing from the true scope and spiritof my invention in its broader aspects.

What I claim is:

1. A composite tile unit for wall application comprising a facing element of thin gauge, substantially stainless alloy metal. whereby the surface finish thereof is of a permanent character, and a backing element of flexible, non-metallic sheet material adhesiveiy secured to and substantially coextensive with the back of said facing element; the marginal edges of said tile unit being beveled and said unit having a slightly concave -back.

2. A composite tile unit for wall application comprising a substantially fiat facing element of thin gauge alloy steel containing at least 8% by weight of chromium, whereby the surface of said element is rendered substantially stainless,

and a backing element of fibrous sheet material adhesiveiy secured to and substantially c oextensive with the back of said facing element; the marginal edges of said tile being beveled' and extending slightly beyond the major portion of the exposed face of the backing element whereby to provide a tile unit having a slightly concave back.

3. A composite tile unit for wall application comprising a. substantially at facing element of thin gauge alloy steel containing at least 8% by weight of chromium, whereby the surface of said element is rendered substantially stainless, and a backing element of fibrous sheet material adhesively secured to and substantially coextensive with the back of said facing element; said facing and backing elements being beveled along the marginal edges thereof to form a tile unit having a slightly concave back.

4. The structure set forth in claim 1 in which the backing element is provided with spaced openings therein.

5. 'I'he structure set forth in claim 2 in which the backing element is provided with spaced openings therein.

6. The structure set forth in claim 3 in which the backing element is provided with spaced openings therein.

CLEMENTS BATCHELLER. 

